Page 2 – CASEL District Resource Guide

Culture and Climate:

School climate is the “quality and character of school life” based on how members of the school community experience school and the school’s “norms, goals, values, interpersonal relationships, teaching, learning and leadership practices, and organizational structures” (Reference: National School Climate Council).

11-20 of 60 Results

Title	Document Type
DRC Resources
Schoolwide Observation Tool for Climate, Classroom Management, and Instruction Washoe County's 1 page tool for recording observations about how SEL is present in the school and classroom environment, instruction, and interactions, and a sample activity for debriefing observations in a circle setting. SOURCE: Washoe County School District TAGS SEL and Academic Integration classroom management model SEL schools school visit/observation tool classroom level culture and climate professional learning
Guiding Principles – A Resource Guide for Improving School Climate and Discipline These guiding principles from the U.S. Department of Education are organized around concepts of creating positive school climate, providing evidence-based supports, promoting social and emotional learning, providing training on positive engagement with students and equitable practices, and adopting an instructional approach to school discipline. SOURCE: United States DOE TAGS alternatives to suspension anti-bias student discipline
Oakland’s Leadership Growth and Development System Principal Handbook Handbook detailing each dimension of the principal evaluation framework, with categories including "Leadership for Healthy Relationships and Culture" and "Leadership for Equity". SOURCE: Oakland Unified School District TAGS board policies human and financial resource alignment equity culture and climate integrate with district priorities SEL leadership
Washington’s SEL Online Education Modules Washington's 5 online modules for educators (intro, embedding SEL schoolwide, adult professional culture, culturally responsive classroom integration, and selecting evidence-based programs). Free registration required. SOURCE: Washington DOE TAGS videos culturally responsive teacher training SEL overview evidence-based programs instructional practices culture and climate professional learning
American Institutes for Research Conditions for Learning Survey Contact information to use this no-cost survey, appropriate for grades 2-12. It gathers students' views on climate, support, challenge and expectations, and social and emotional skills. SOURCE: AIR TAGS student assessment define SEL metrics assessment continuous improvement implementation evaluation culture and climate
Student Survey This simple survey has students rate their perception of school climate, adult support, and sense of belonging. It is intended as an informal measure for individual classroom teachers to invite feedback from students and reflect on areas for growth, and has not been validated as a formal evaluation tool. SOURCE: CASEL TAGS assessment continuous improvement culture and climate youth voice
How Do Principals Influence Student Achievement? This research brief from the University of Chicago Consortium on School Research shows that administrators who successfully move the needle on student achievement most often do so through the lever of school climate and staff collaboration. SOURCE: University/Nonprofit Research Institution TAGS culture and climate SEL leadership
Chicago Public Schools Student Voice Committees Student Voice Committees (SVCs) are designed to form crucial student-adult partnerships to help address the issues schools and students are facing. Through engaging students in the decision making process, SVCs seek to improve school culture and climate and develop youth leadership skills. SOURCE: Chicago Public Schools TAGS student leadership youth voice
School Strengths Inventory This strengths inventory will help a school-based SEL team determine which strategies are being used at all levels of schoolwide SEL: SEL curriculum & instruction, schoolwide practice & policies, and family & community-level partnerships. SOURCE: CASEL TAGS needs and resources assessment conducting local SEL research continuous improvement PK-12 implementation monitoring implementation evaluation instructional practices classroom level culture and climate MTSS out of school student discipline youth voice
Enacting Social-Emotional Learning: Lessons from “Outlier Schools” in California’s CORE Districts This research brief looks at the commonalities among California middle schools that reported stronger-than-typical social emotional learning outcomes. These 6 characteristics are elaborated into recommendations for school districts supporting SEL at scale. SOURCE: California CORE Districts TAGS model SEL schools implementation plan restorative practices advisory/homeroom community relations instructional practices culture and climate building community out of school student discipline

DRC Resources